Socket



Oct. 14, 1941. M. ALDEN 2,259,096

SOCKET Filed Aug. 23, 1940 Patented Got. 14, 1941 SOGKET Milton Alden, Brockton, Mass. Application August 23,1940, Serial No. 353,821

3 Claims. (Cl. 173-328) This invention pertains to sockets of the type which are adapted to receive a lamp or tube base equipped with a plurality of pins, such as the base commonly employed upon each end of a lamp of the fluorescent type.

into firm contact with one terminal of the so'cket,.

and then a partial rotary. movement will engage the other prong or pin with the remaining contact, so that the chances of making imperfect contacts, which-might beharmful to the lamp, are greatly reduced in comparison with types of sockets in which both terminals are supposed to be simultaneously engaged by some movement of lamp insertion other than a simple rotation of the lamp.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art by reference to the specification following, and to the drawing hereunto attached, where:

Fig. l is an end view of my lamp socket.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, showing various positions assumed by the pins of a tube entering the socket.

Fig. 3 is a section upon the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation and partial section.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the socket with the tube pins shown in place and making contact.

Fig. dis a front elevation of a portion of. a modified form of socket with a tube base partly inserted. i

A body 9 of any suitable insulating material such as a molded .plastic, is provided with a recess It for fastening the same to a support, as by the use of a screw or other means (not shown). Grooved openings H are also provided for the passage therethrough oi conductors attached to the contact members ii of the socket by means of suitable terminal screws l3, and carrying electrical energy from any suitable source.

The upright portion of the socket body is probe guided slightly away from the rear 01 the socket body. At the center of the bottom of the recess is provided an entrance slot I6 which descends a relatively short distance vertically and is provided with rounded corners ll, so that alamp base pin will tend to slip ofi when the lamp or tube rotated. This prevents pressure being brought to bear on the walls of the slot,

' which might cause undue strains to beset up in terminals from v both the socket and the tube base.

- Slot it then branches out into two arms l8, M which are formed in a curving fashion as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawing, somewhat resembling the conventional representation of a wish bone. The exact shape of these slots may, however, be modified in accordance with the spacing of the lamp pins and the design of the the socket, hereinafter to be is, at the base, a spacer block 2|, which has the additional function of allowing each contact spring to be wedged betweenthis block'and a projection 22 provided upon the body of the socket, by the provision of an in-bent portion 23 in each contact, which in-bent portion will'fit into a correspondingly shaped portion of the spacer block 2|, and will seat against bosses 2| which maintain the contacts free from undesired frictional contact with the surface .of the socket. The upper portion is recessed'as shown at 24, and again is slightly bowed out at the extremity 25 thereof. The tube pins 26 lie in the respective contact recesses 25, after each pin has passed downward through one branch IQ of the pin entrance groove, and after the pins have first made contact with the extremities 25 of the contact springs so as to separate these springs somewhat vided with a recess i 6 upon the upper edge there- I of. The rear wall It of this recess is preferably sloped inwardly as the recess descends, so that the pins 26, 26 of an entrant lamp base IE, will from one another. 4

It is desirable when no lamp or tube is in the socket, that there be no exposed contacts, which might be alive through failure of the operator of the lamp to disconnect the socket from the source of electrical energy, as by switching off the current. Therefore I may provide a shutter member which will close oif access to the contacts throughthe grooves, when no lamp is in'the socket. In Fig. 5 I have shown such a shutter at 21. This may be formed byathin sheet of suitable insulating material which is arranged to slide within the body of the socket. The upper react upon supporting projections 88, preferably molded integrally withthe body the During insertion of lamp or socket of this invention. one pin into entrance slot l8 and then into either willbemainlyatransitionalmovement,althongh thebranchingoutoiwhicheverarm llthebase pin enters into. will oineeessity give risetoa slight rotational movement of the lamp. This last mentioned rotation is so slight that the person inserting the lamp will make it with.the greatest of ease, duete the guidingactlonoi the slot. After this first pin is seated at'the bottom I! 01. the slot, the entire lamp movement becomes one of rotation, and it is to be noted that this rotation will be in the opposite direction from the slight rotational movement above describedasaceompanyingtheiirststepof insertion, so that such second rotation will he a natural movement for the hand of-the person insertingthelamptomake,sinceitwilltendtocounteract the first rotational movement, and will notcompelthehandtnexecutea greatdegree of rotation, which may often be awkward, es-

peciallywhenthelampisinsertedintoasocket located at a point remote and hard to reach.

It will be noted that engagement is made with the two contacts separately and that the recess portions 2| tend to-hold the tube pins or prongs resiliently in place.

When the guard or shield 21 is used it afiords resistance to the insertion of the first tube prong to be inserted and then the shield exerts pressure on both prongs as soon as the tube is rotated into its final position, sothat the shield tends to hold the tube prongs in place against accidental detachment.

In the modified ionn shown mm. 6, the mass of insulating material lying between the two branches ll of the slot has been removed so that the prongs are guided by the outer edges of the substantially triangular opening thus left. It may be desirable to have a portion 01 insulating direction coincident with the movement of prongasoastoaidintheejecflonoi'saidprongs iromthesocket.

2.Asocketiortuhepinsoompflsinganinsulatinghousinghavmgaehamberoontainingtwo thesprlngarmsbeinghiaaedaothat'the ableendstendtomovetowasdeachother. housinghavinganmtranee jacentthemovableendsot clinedslotseonnectedat saidentraneeslotanda eaidenembertheplmot theyareinsertedinsaidinclined seatedinsaidnotcmsaldalide pressagainsttheinsertedplnsand againstonepintoeiecttheotherpinfmm entraneeslotwhensaidilrstpinisretracted shortdistaneetromthenotchinwhichit seated.

adjacent springpremed ainhe atubeeomvinganelcnatoneend openingwith andaeentral mdpithe housinginwhiehissaidentraneeslothavinl aguidewailslopingdownwardlyimmtherear towardtheiaoeotthesoastoguide atubepintowardssaidentraneeslotandaaid entrance slot also having shoulders extending laterally away tromthecentral slot atleastas faroneaehsideasthemaximumdistaneew tweensaidoppositewallsottheopeningsofliat when onepinotahlbeisinaertedside'wlse intothecentralslottheotherpincannothe swungovertheadjaeentshoulderottheend whenthe tubeisrotatedandeontactsprlnas eaohhavingoneendanchoredinthebaseot the housing and the other end extendingalongside oioneoftheinclinedouterwallsofsald opening and adjacent the central mtrance slot for receiving the inserted tube pins.

HILTON ALDEN. 

